


Bitten

by LibraryMage



Series: Vampire AU 2: The Second One [1]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Ezra Bridger Needs a Hug, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Queerplatonic Relationships, Vampire Turning, Whumptober
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibraryMage/pseuds/LibraryMage
Summary: It was a normal day for Ezra, until he got home to find Kanan acting strange.OR, AU of the vampire AU where Kanan bites Ezra.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger & Kanan Jarrus, Kanan Jarrus & Hera Syndulla
Series: Vampire AU 2: The Second One [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971724
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober 2020 Prompt: Blood loss (late again)
> 
> Alright, so first things first: I do not plan on writing anything else in this AU (probably). It was just a half-baked idea inspired by a Whumptober prompt and I don't intend to do anything else with.
> 
> Since this is going to be the only fic in this AU, I figured I would give you guys some backstory and context here in the notes. Kanan is a vampire. For a little over a decade, he's been living a somewhat normal life among humans and at one point moved in with his human roommate-turned-QP-partner Hera, who is as supernatural as drywall, and her cat Chopper. Since these two were basically made to be parents, they decided they wanted to foster a child, which is where Ezra comes in. Ezra was 14 when he started living with Kanan and Hera about a year before this fic takes place. They told him Kanan was a vampire about a month later, and Ezra was surprisingly cool with it.
> 
> Also, I know this isn't my best work, but I wrote most of it while waiting to be discharged from the hospital, so I think that's a pretty good excuse.

Ezra let out a small sigh of relief as he dumped his backpack at the bottom of the stairs, the weight of it no longer pressing on his shoulders. He’d make a quick run to the kitchen to grab a study snack and anything with caffeine in it, and then up to his room to start on his mountain of homework. By now, he was starting to think the whole point of school was to prepare kids for a lifetime of never sleeping.

As he turned, there was a blur of movement, and he jumped as Kanan seemingly materialized from nowhere right in front of him. Vampire speed seemed pretty useful, Ezra would admit, but after a year, he still hadn’t quite gotten used to Kanan just appearing like that.

“Hey, Kanan,” he said. He glanced down at his backpack. “Don’t worry, I’ll move it in a second. I just…”

His voice trailed off as he looked up, accidentally meeting Kanan’s eyes. They looked _glassy_ , their pupils dilated so much the green was barely visible. Kanan had said vampires couldn’t get sick, but something was obviously wrong. The longer Ezra stared, the more he felt like it wasn't even Kanan staring back at him.

“Ezra.”

A sharp tingle of fear spread down Ezra’s spine at the sound of Kanan’s voice. There was something _off_ about it, strained and distant, like Kanan was struggling with something. Slowly, Ezra took one hesitant step forward. He glanced over his shoulder at the front door, wondering if he should call Hera.

“Are you –”

His question was cut off by a gasp as Kanan grabbed his wrist _hard_. He tried to step back again, but Kanan’s grip just tightened, keeping him from pulling away.

“Kanan?” Ezra’s heart was pounding as the man’s fingers grew still tighter around his arm. Something inside his head was screaming, telling him to run away, to call for help, to _do something don’t just stand there!_

“Y-you’re hurting me,” he said, his voice weak as terror crawled up his throat. In a year of living with them, neither Kanan nor Hera had ever laid a hand on him, but he had always feared it would happen one day. It had happened so many times before, with foster parents who’d seemed nice at first, until one day they snapped.

Kanan’s grip loosened just slightly, and for a moment, a wave of relief washed over him. But the feeling quickly evaporated as Kanan’s hand tightened again, dragging him forward. Ezra yelped as Kanan’s other hand tangled in his hair, wrenching his head to the side.

Exposing his neck, Ezra realized, the bottom dropping out of his stomach.

“Kanan, stop!” He twisted his arm, trying to break free, but Kanan’s supernatural strength was too much for him to fight against. “St—”

His words dissolved into a scream as Kanan’s fangs pierced his skin, sinking into his neck.

He twisted in Kanan’s grip, gasping as those fangs just sank deeper, like Kanan was going to tear his throat out. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tugged against Kanan’s grip on his arm. With every second that passed, his struggles grew weaker as Kanan drained the blood from his body.

Ezra couldn’t breathe. His head was spinning so much he wanted to throw up. He could feel himself trying to speak, but he couldn’t tell if any sound came out of his mouth.

His free hand twitched, trying to claw at Kanan’s arm.

And everything…

Everything stopped.

* * *

_Stop!_

_No!_

_What are you_ doing _?!_

_That's Ezra! That's_ Ezra _! Let him go!_

_STOP!_

Kanan’s hands sprang open reflexively, letting whoever he was holding onto so tightly fall. He was vaguely aware of a dull _thud_ as the fog began to clear from his head. A familiar, metallic taste filled his mouth. Blood. But when had he…

A sinking sense of horror spread down his spine as he snapped back into awareness. He looked down, eyes widening in horror when he saw Ezra lying on the floor in front of him, blood still trickling from the wound in his neck.

Kanan dropped to his knees, grabbing the kid’s shoulders and shaking him. He pressed his fingers against Ezra’s neck – the side that wasn’t ripped open by a gaping wound that _he’d_ left there – finding a weak, frantic pulse.

“Ezra,” he said, gently patting the boy’s cheek with one hand as the other pressed down on the wound. His skin felt _wrong_ , cold and clammy like he’d been dunked in freezing water. “Come on, kid. Wake up.”

Blood continued leaking from beneath Kanan’s hand as the kid gasped for air. His skin was ashen, growing colder by the second.

He wasn’t going to make it. Even if Kanan called an ambulance now, Ezra would die before they could get here.

_No._

Kanan drew his hand away from the kid’s face and bit down on it until blood welled up around the wound. Carefully, he tilted Ezra’s head back and pressed his bleeding hand against the kid’s mouth. Ezra twitched, trying to pull away. With his other hand, Kanan gripped Ezra’s chin lightly, trying not to hurt him as he held him in place.

“Nn…” Ezra’s voice was so quiet, Kanan could barely hear it.

“It’s okay,” Kanan said. “You’ll be okay. I’ve got you.”

Slowly, the kid began to swallow the blood that flowed into his mouth. His eyes twitched beneath their lids, but didn’t open. Every second that passed felt longer than the one before until, with a shudder, Ezra went completely limp, and his breath stopped.

“No,” Kanan whispered. He let go of Ezra and pressed his ear to the kid’s chest. There was no sound. No heartbeat, no breath. Everything had _stopped_.

He hadn’t acted fast enough. And now Ezra was dead.

He’d killed his son.

“Ezra,” he gasped, his hand finding the kid’s and gripping it tight. “I’m sorry. I-I’m so sorry.”

Ezra’s fingers twitched.

Kanan gasped, sitting up abruptly. He stared down at Ezra intently, watching for any signs of movement. Time seemed to move even slower than it had just seconds before as he waited, waited, waited. As the minutes dragged by, he began to wonder if he’d imagined it. And then everything happened at once.

Ezra’s back arched, his heels digging against the floor. A scream burst from his throat as his grip on Kanan’s hand grew so tight, Kanan could feel his bones creaking beneath his skin.

The screaming continued as the kid kicked and thrashed on the floor, with Kanan helpless to stop it or do anything to comfort him. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and Ezra went limp again. There was still no breath, no heartbeat, but he wasn’t gone. Kanan could _feel_ him, still there, still alive. Or as close to alive as either of them could be.

Trying to steady his shaking hands, Kanan lifted the kid into his arms. He held Ezra gently against his chest, as if the kid were made of glass, as he carried him up the stairs to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: references to a past suicide attempt

Hours had passed, but Ezra was still unconscious. Kanan hadn’t left his side for even a moment. He could remember as clear as day just how terrified he’d been when he woke up after being turned. He wasn’t going to risk Ezra waking up alone, not understanding what had happened to him.

The wound on his neck was already starting to heal. It had closed up, scar tissue forming over it. By the time he woke up, it could be gone completely. Unless he showed his fangs, there would be no outward sign of what Ezra was now. Of what _Kanan_ had turned him into.

Kanan still couldn’t make sense of what had happened. He couldn’t even remember anything from before Ezra had gotten home from school. Even the memory of biting the kid was distant and muffled, like he was somehow cut off from it. Only when he released the kid and saw him lying half-dead on the floor did his memory become clear again.

In the back of his mind, Kanan was vaguely aware of the sound of the front door opening and closing. He didn’t think anything of it until he heard Hera’s terrified voice calling out to him.

“Kanan?!”

The blood. There was still blood on the floor.

“Up here!” he called back. “I’m in Ezra’s room.”

Hera’s footsteps pounded up the stairs and seconds later, she burst into the room. Kanan’s shoulders tensed as he felt her staring, the wheels turning in her head as she took in the sight of Ezra unconscious on the bed, a scar on his neck.

“Kanan,” she said, keeping her voice quiet as she stepped into the room. “What happened?”

“I – I don’t know.” It was all Kanan could say as that same feeling of horror that had hit him when he realized what he’d done grabbed hold of him again.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Hera crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her hand gently resting on Ezra’s forehead and brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his face. Finally, she turned her eyes to Kanan, who immediately dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to face that look of horror and betrayal.

“Did you do this?”

“I didn’t want to." Kanan's voice was hollow as he spoke. “You know I would never hurt him. It was like something was _telling_ me to do it. I didn’t have any control.”

“I thought vampires couldn’t be compelled,” Hera said.

“We can’t be,” Kanan said. “It’s –”

He stopped speaking, horror blossoming in the pit of his stomach. But what he was thinking couldn’t be possible.

“Kanan?” Hera prompted.

Kanan swallowed, his voice sticking in his throat as he forced himself to answer her.

“A – a vampire’s sire can influence them,” he said. “It’s not the same as being compelled. We can’t exactly be _forced_ to do something, but we can be more easily convinced. And there are things they can do to – to make it even easier.”

His hands shook as he curled them into fists in his lap, his nails biting into his skin. That explained everything. The memory loss, the missing time, the fact that he’d bitten _Ezra_ , of all people. He’d been drugged and had his mind manipulated by someone he’d been sure he would never see again. Someone who shouldn't have been able to find him.

“Hera, I swear, I wouldn’t have done this to Ezra willingly,” he said. “I’d never hurt either of you.”

“I know.” Hera’s voice broke as she said it, and Kanan was certain she didn’t quite believe that anymore. “He’ll be alright, won’t he? Once we wakes up.”

“Yeah,” Kanan said. “He’ll be confused. Probably scared. But the worst part is over.”

“Why would your sire want you to turn Ezra in the first place?” Hera asked.

“I don’t know.” Kanan couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth yet, that what he’d felt driven to do wasn’t turning Ezra, but _killing_ him. “We haven’t even spoken in twelve years. I thought – I thought my new identity would keep me hidden longer than this.”

For a moment, they both sat there in silence, watching as Ezra continued to sleep, oblivious to their fear and confusion.

“What are we going to do?” Hera asked.

“I’ll help him,” Kanan said. “I’ve been living among humans for years now. He’s been one his whole life and that doesn’t just go away. Not immediately. And whatever started this, I _will_ keep him safe.”

“You’re not going to leave, are you?”

Kanan reached out, his fingers threading between Hera’s as he gripped her hand tightly.

“Never,” he said. “I promise.”

* * *

When Ezra opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the painting of Chopper clawing up his leg that Sabine had done on his wall. He was in his room, then, but he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here. Last he remembered, he’d been walking home from school. He’d made it to the front door and then…

And then…

He sat up as the memory flooded back into his mind. Kanan grabbing his arm. Kanan’s fangs ripping into his neck. The cold that had dragged him down, deeper and deeper until everything else was just _gone_.

He gasped when he saw Kanan seated at the foot of his bed, watching him. As Kanan reached a hand toward him, Ezra flinched, shrinking back as he remembered that same hand holding his wrist hard enough to bruise.

“Ezra,” Kanan said, “it’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”

“Wh-why did you…” he pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging his arms around them as tight as he could. He didn’t feel right, probably from the blood loss. Everything was… sharp? No, that wasn’t the right word. But he didn’t know what the right word was. He only knew that something was _wrong_. If he’d nearly bled out, why hadn’t Kanan taken him to the hospital?

“What happened?” he asked, his voice breaking.

“Try to remember,” Kanan said, his voice gentle. “I – I bit you.”

Ezra pulled his knees closer, curling in on himself. He remembered that part. He just wished he didn’t.

_“Why?”_

“I didn’t want to do it," Kanan said. Ezra could just barely hear the fear his foster father was trying to keep out of his voice. “Something forced me to.”

“Like – like you were compelled?” Ezra asked, his voice shaking.

“Something like that.” Kanan reached out again, his hand resting on Ezra’s knee. “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me right now, but I would never hurt you.”

Ezra bit gently on the inside of his lower lip. There was part of him that _wanted_ to just take Kanan at his word without question. It was the part that had grown comfortable here after Kanan and Hera had worked so hard to help him feel safe. But all of that was beginning to unravel now.

“Ezra.” It was just one word, but Ezra could hear so much pain behind it. Pain and fear and bitter shame. “I – I couldn’t let you die. There was no time to call for help and I –”

“You turned me.” Ezra’s voice was barely more than a whisper as the realization set in. That was why he woke up in his room rather than a hospital. That was why he didn’t feel right.

That was why Kanan could barely look at him.

“Let go of me.”

Kanan immediately withdrew his hand, as if he’d been burned. Ezra stared blankly downward, trying to wrap his head around what he now knew. Kanan had offered to do it once, in a misguided but honest attempt to help him. Ezra had said no. The idea of never being able to die, of being stuck in this life forever, terrified him. And now it was his reality.

But he didn’t want to die _yet_. Not anymore. Right now, that was the only thing stopping him from hating Kanan for what he’d done.

“I didn’t want this,” he muttered, his hands curling into fists.

He didn’t know what to feel anymore. He _was_ glad he hadn’t died. Not permanently, anyway. But now he was staring down the barrel of eternity, stuck in this life until someone else killed him. After his last failure, Ezra didn't think he'd ever have the guts to try and do it himself again.

“I know,” Kanan said. “And if I could have saved you another way, I would have.”

He sighed, dropping his gaze to the floor once again.

“I’m so sorry, Ezra,” he said. “I understand if you’re angry. I’ll even understand if you hate me. But I promise, I’ll do everything to help you. It won’t have to be as painful for you as it was for me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Ezra said. “But I – I’m scared.”

_And I don't know if I can forgive you yet._

“I was, too,” Kanan said. “But you _will_ be okay, Ezra. I won’t let anything happen to you. Neither will Hera.”

Tears pricked at the corners of Ezra’s eyes as he looked up at Kanan. For a year now, Kanan had done exactly what he was promising. He’d taken care of Ezra, kept him safe, helped him struggle through some of the worst days of his life. At the very least, Ezra could _try_ to believe him now. Kanan had spent a year proving himself over and over and if he was telling the truth, then this wasn’t his fault.

 _Don’t fall for it,_ a quiet voice whispered in the back of Ezra’s mind.

Before he could put any more thought into it, his stomach twisted and he found himself doubling over, biting back a groan of pain.

“The hunger’s setting in,” Kanan said.

Ezra nodded, to overwhelmed by the pain to speak.

“Just wait here,” Kanan told him. “I’ll be right back.”

As Kanan left the room, Ezra slid back down onto the bed. He curled into a tight ball on his side and pulled his blanket over him. The tears he’d tried to hold back finally began to trickle down his face.

He didn’t want this. But now, he was stuck this way.

He was a vampire.

Because Kanan had turned him.

There was no going back.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know that's a bit of a murky place to end things. But since I'm not planning to write anything else for this AU, I didn't want to leave things bad with Ezra hating Kanan or being terrified of him now. But I also didn't want to make things too easy for Kanan by having Ezra just get over it too quickly.
> 
> Anyway...sorry, Ezra. And also sorry, Kanan.


End file.
